Offering

Offering is written into Sleep Token’s lyrical DNA, and its greatest emanation is the song of that title. To put it simply, it is a sacrifice, which in a religious context we call an offering to sound more lofty. Or in the context of the band’s merch. It always sounds more ceremonial than ‘NEW DROP’. Since gods (Norn will diplomatically not mention bands) are insatiable creatures, practically every religion includes an offering among its rituals. They may differ in form, gifts and rewards, but the worshipper always offers something, able only to treasure a meek hope that the offering will be accepted and rewarded.

And basically we could end this entry here, if Norn’s little fingers weren’t itching. Because, you see, in the song ‘The Offering’ there’s a phrase which to her mind, a merry collaboration of heart and reason, is simply ludicrous. ‘You’ve got diamonds for teeth’, sings Vessel, and then suggests that the addressee of the song (if it’s an offering, that’d be Sleep, right?) take a bite of him.

If you’re listening to this song on a Saturday evening with your loved one by your side, the one interpretation imposes itself - Netflix, chill and we nibble at each other, metaphorically or literally if we want to feel like the heroines of mass-produced, cheap smut about bad boys and good girls.

But if, like Norn, you analyse, sometimes too much, and like to occasionally rip out some phrase and interpret it literally, you may be surprised.

Because what do diamonds instead of teeth actually mean? Awkward. A diamond, granted, is the hardest, but not necessarily tough. If our dear Sleep decided to listen to Vessel and actually bite into him, hard, it could turn out that his diamond tooth would simply crack on contact with his emissary’s bony wrist. If that was the goal from the start - to deprive the deity of sleep of his precious teeth - clever plan. But as an offering it’s a bit naff.

Diamonds are also stiff, much stiffer than teeth, so every time they were used the whole energy of the bite would go straight into the jawbones and joints, causing a not necessarily desired effect (though here again, maybe Vessel knows Sleep likes it when his jaw buzzes).

Diamonds conduct heat very well. Drink a hot coffee? You’ll feel it straight away. A good way to heat up the atmosphere, but you might just as well pour boiling water over your companion (please, don’t do this at home).

To sum up, metaphorically, as a pick-up line (or offering, or whatever) diamonds instead of teeth sound very slick, but before you write it in a letter to your beloved (or to the deity whose favour you pray for), you’d better think twice, because it may turn out that the person you’re talking to blatantly ignores what is being insinuated, stubbornly focusing on the literal meaning of the words.

A tough nut to crack.